AsiaPulse News back issues from April 2005:
FOREX - AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR STARTS LOWER - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian dollar started marginally lower this morning as the market remained largely unmoved by inflation related data in the United States overnight. At 0700 AEST the local unit was trading at $US0.7722/26, compared with 0.7729/32 at ...
STOCKS - BOMBAY STOCKS END HIGHER - MARCH 31, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... MUMBAI, March 31 Asia Pulse - Led by IT sector, the sensex today spurted by 111 points to end at 6492.82 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on a fresh round of buying spree from domestic mutual funds as well as operators, extending the gains to a second straight session. ...
FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS WEAKER AGAINST RUPEE - MARCH 31, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... MUMBAI, March 31 Asia Pulse - The U.S. dollar ended sharply weaker against the rupee at Rs 43.75 per dollar and the pound sterling finished lower at Rs 82.33 per pound ...
S KOREA'S CONSUMER PRICES RISE 3.1 PCT IN MARCH.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's consumer prices rose 3.1 per cent year-on-year in March due to hikes in prices of agricultural products and service rates, the state statistics office said Friday. The consumer price index climbed 0.8 per cent from February, indicating ...
FORMER HOLDEN EXEC NAMED PRESIDENT OF GM CHINA GROUP.
Apr 01, 2005 ... ADELAIDE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Australian-born former Holden executive Kevin Wale has been named the new president and managing director of the General Motors China Group. Mr Wale, who held positions in finance and marketing with Holden in the 1990s, is currently GM Europe vice ...
AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - Consumers may be charged higher prices for water as a result of government revenue during restrictions. - Up to 2000 jobs are under threat as the National Australia Bank ...
VANCO APPOINTS JOHN IMLE ITS NEW PRESIDENT.
Apr 01, 2005 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2005--Vanco Energy Company is pleased to announce the addition of staff: John F. Imle, Jr. has recently joined Vanco Energy Company as President with Gene Van Dyke becoming Chairman ....
SIA CUTS FARES FOR MUMBAI FLIGHTS TO SINGAPORE, KL, PENANG.
Apr 01, 2005 ... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - In an aggressive pricing move, Singapore Airlines (SIA) Thursday launched a 'Sweet Deals' scheme offering a roundtrip fare of Rs 13,499 (US$307.85) for travellers from Mumbai to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Under the scheme for Mumbai ...
S KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: Vernacular dailies -- Nine of 10 legislators say constitutional amendment necessary (Kyunghyang Shinmun) -- Seoul-Tokyo diplomatic row deepening over Dokdo dispute (Kukmin Daily) -- ...
AUSTRALIA'S SMORGAN ACQUIRES REMAINING STAKE IN ASIAN RECYCLING JV.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Steel manufacturer Smorgon Steel Group Ltd (ASX:SSX) has acquired the remaining 50 per cent of a recycling joint venture in Asia. Smorgon Steel has now bought the 50 per cent of the Smorgon Hartwell Recycling joint venture it did not already own from ...
INDIA'S HINDUSTAN CONSTRUCTION TO RAISE US$29.6 MLN FROM FIIS.
Apr 01, 2005 ... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (NSI:HCNS) Thursday said it will raise Rs 1.3 billion (US$29.6 million) from Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs). The shareholders have approved allotment of 2,905,540 equity shares of Rs 10 each for cash at ...
INDIA'S RAYMOND LTD RAISES INVESTMENT IN ZAMBAITI JV.
Apr 01, 2005 ... MUMBAI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Bullish on the Indian textile sector and freeing of quota regime, apparel maker Raymond Ltd (BSE:500330) has increased its investment in the joint venture with Italy's Gruppo Zambaiti to Rs 2 billion (US$45.8 million) from the earlier Rs 1.80 billion. ...
INDIA'S PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK RETURNS 30 MLN SHARES TO GOVT.
Apr 01, 2005 ... NEW DELHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Punjab National Bank (NSI:PNBK) Thursday returned capital totalling Rs 11.53 billion (US$264 million) to government, two weeks after it mopped up Rs 31.20 billion through its second public offer of 80 million shares. PNB chairman S S Kohli ...
DONGWON FINANCIAL TO MERGE KOREA INVESTMENT, AFFILIATE ON JUNE 1.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Dongwon Financial Holdings Co. (KSE:071050), South Korea's fourth-largest financial group, said Friday it plans to merge newly-acquired Korea Investment & Securities Co. with its brokerage unit, Dongwon Securities Co., on June 1. The financial ...
STOCKS - TOKYO STOCKS OPEN LOWER - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TOKYO, April 1 Asia Pulse - Tokyo stocks opened lower Friday, with the Nikkei 225 index falling 107.32 ...
STOCKS - S KOREAN STOCKS OPEN LOWER - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, with the Korea ...
FOREX - US DOLLAR OPENS HIGHER AGAINST WON - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - The US dollar opened at 1,018.00 won ...
STOCKS - KOSDAQ STARTS WEAKER - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - The KOSDAQ Friday started ...
AUSTRALIA'S EXCEL COAL BOOSTS STAKE IN MILLENNIUM COAL.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - NSW-based coal miner Excel Coal Ltd (ASX:EXL) will acquire a further 7.4 per cent of Queensland's Millennium Coal Pty Ltd. Consideration for the shares is 2,160,900 new, fully-paid Excel shares plus 11.4 cents per new Excel share, a total of ,342 ...
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING GROWTH REMAINS SUBDUED IN MARCH.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Australian manufacturing growth remained subdued in March as export numbers and new orders continued to soften, the latest Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) showed. While the March PMI - jointly compiled by the Australian Industry ...
SKILLED SHORTAGES IN AUSTRALIA TO WORSEN, SAYS TREASURER.
Apr 01, 2005 ... CANBERRA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Treasurer Peter Costello Thursday warned Australia's labour shortage crisis will get significantly worse in the decades ahead. Mr Costello also reiterated his support for an increase in skilled migration to help deal with the problem. ...
EXEC OF AUSTRALIA'S VISY STOOD DOWN AMID PRICE-FIXING PROBE: REPORT.
Apr 01, 2005 ... MELBOURNE, April 1 Asia Pulse - A senior Visy executive has been stood down amid price-fixing investigations in the cardboard packaging industry, according to a newspaper report. Visy chief executive officer Harry Debney said yesterday the general manager of the company's ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN STOCKS OPEN HIGHER - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket opened higher today, buoyed by stronger resources and banking stocks. At 1017 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was up by 24 points at 4133.9 while the all ordinaries index added 21 cents to 4121.9. The ...
STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES RISE IN EARLY TRADE - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean share prices were higher in early trade Friday as oil shares rose on rising oil prices. Technology shares also led the gain. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged up 3.84 points, ...
S KOREA, OECD AGREE TO BUILD SOCIAL AFFAIRS CENTER IN SEOUL.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea has agreed with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to set up a social affairs center in Seoul, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday. In a meeting held Thursday in Paris, South Korea's Health and ...
MCDATA CONTINUES TO TARGET Q2 2005 TO COMPLETE CNT ACQUISITION.
Apr 01, 2005 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) BROOMFIELD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2005--McDATA Corporation (Nasdaq: MCDTA) (Nasdaq: MCDT) a leading provider of data infrastructure solutions, announced on January 18, 2005, a definitive agreement to acquire Computer ...
S KOREA'S TRADE SURPLUS REACHES US$1.57 BLN IN MARCH.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's trade surplus fell in March from the previous month as the won's appreciation against the dollar and shrunken global demand crimped the country's exports, the government said Friday. March's trade surplus came to US$1.57, compared with a ...
US FUND FOR UNICEF SELECTS ARKADIN'S AUDIO AND DATA CONFERENCING SERVICES.
Apr 01, 2005 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) TINTON FALLS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2005--The United States Fund for UNICEF selected Arkadin to provide audio and data conferencing services to its US employees in an effort to improve communications. "Arkadin's ...
HYUNDAI MOTOR TO HIKE PRICE OF NEW SONATA ON RISING STEEL COST.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Hyundai Motor Co. (KSE:005380), South Korea's biggest automaker, said Friday it will increase the price of its new Sonata sedan by as much as 5.1 per cent due to rising steel cost. Hyundai Motor will raise the price of its premium NF Sonata sedan to ...
TAIWAN GOVT TO PROVIDE MORE INCENTIVES TO BOT PROJECTS: CEPD.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - The government will provide more incentives for development projects under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model so as to help local governments lure more business opportunities, the nation's top economic policy planner said Thursday. Hu Sheng-cheng, ...
TAIWAN'S MARCH CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX HITS SIX-MONTH LOW.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's consumer confidence index dropped to a six-month low at 75.13 in March, according to the results of a survey released Thursday by the National Central University's Research for Taiwan Economic Development. The survey shows that the figure is ...
IMBALANCE IN TAIWAN'S TECHNOLOGY TRADE MUST BE ADDRESSED: PRESIDENT.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - President Chen Shui-bian said Thursday that Taiwan's imbalance between technology imports and exports must be addressed if the country intends to maintain its international competitiveness. Quoting government figures, Chen said that the ratio of ...
TAIWAN'S SCIENCE COUNCIL TO INCREASE INT'L COOPERATION.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - The National Science Council (NSC) will increase its international cooperation, focusing on more than 20 major programs that will link every corner of the world, the council's head said Thursday. NSC Chairman Wu Mao-kun said that in addition to ...
CHINA OFFENSIVE WILL CORNER TAIWAN AGRICULTURE: DPP LAWMAKERS.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TAIPEI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's agriculture will be backed into a corner by China now that Beijing has kicked off an offensive to deal with Taiwan with a two-pronged strategy, a group of ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawyers said Thursday. Pan Mong-an, Huang ...
MILL SHUTDOWN TO AFFECT EBIT OF AUSTRALIA'S ZINIFEX.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Lead and zinc miner Zinifex Ltd (ASX:ZFX) estimates the impact from its recent shutdown of an ore grinding operation in Queensland will be $A14 million ($US10.78 million) in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). "The majority of this reduction ...
PAKISTANI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - MARCH 31, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... KARACHI, April 1 Asia Pulse - Major headlines of newspapers published in Pakistan on March 31, 2005: DAWN: - Israeli envoy to Ethiopia shoots himself - Iran takes journalists inside key nuclear plant - US may get access to Turkish base ...
STOCKS - KARACHI STOCKS CLOSE HIGHER - MARCH 31, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... KARACHI, March 31 Asia Pulse - The market continued to remain positive on March 30 as the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE)-100 Index increased by 230 points to close at 8086 on moderately high turnover of 447 million shares. According to Taurus Securities Limited, Pakistan ...
SMALL WORLD TOYS EXPANDS ASIAN MANUFACTURING PRESENCE IN HONG KONG.
Apr 01, 2005 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) CULVER CITY, Calif., April 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Chinese Manufacturing Industry Leader, Rickie Ching, to Lead Efforts Small World Kids, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SWKD), a leading manufacturer, marketer ...
HITE-LED GROUP MAKES HIGHEST BID FOR S KOREA'S JINRO: SOURCES.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - A consortium led by Hite Co. (KSE:000140), South Korea's largest beer maker, has offered the highest bidding price in a heated competition to buy Jinro Ltd., the country's largest maker of Korean distilled liquor "soju," industry sources said Friday. ...
SK TELECOM'S MOBILE PHONE SUBSCRIBERS RISE IN MARCH.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - SK Telecom Co. (KSE:017670), South Korea's biggest mobile phone operator, said Friday it added a net 72,360 cell phone customers last month, bringing the total to over 19 million. SK Telecom attracted ...
CVRD SETTLES 2005 LUMP ORE PRICE WITH THYSSENKRUPP STAHL.
Apr 01, 2005 ... (Full text of statement. Contact details below.) RIO DE JANEIRO, April 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NYSE: RIO) (CVRD), the world's largest producer of iron ore and pellets, concluded the Carajas lump ore (CJL) price negotiations for 2005 with ...
KAZAKHSTAN'S GOLD PRODUCTION DROPS 11.3% ON-YEAR IN JAN-FEB.
Apr 01, 2005 ... ASTANA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Kazakhstan's gold production dropped 11.3 per cent year-on-year in January-February to 1.471 tons. Silver production, though, grew 17 per cent to 128.297 tons, the ...
PAKISTAN OFFERS US$5 MLN CREDIT FACILITY TO NEPAL.
Apr 01, 2005 ... ISLAMABAD, April 1 Asia Pulse - Pakistan on March 30 offered million credit facility to Nepal to be utilised for further promoting economic relations between the two countries. The offer was made at 5th session of Nepal-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) which concluded ...
KYRGYZSTAN MINES 20 PCT MORE COAL IN JAN-FEB.
Apr 01, 2005 ... BISHKEK, April 1 Asia Pulse - Kyrgyzstan produced 53,400 tons of coal in the first two months of 2005, up 20 per cent year-on-year. Commercial production in the coal industry grew 24 per cent to 23 million som (US$557,000) in the two months, ...
UZBEKISTAN TO OFFER 22 PCT OF STEEL MILL TO FOREIGN INVESTORS.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TASHKENT, April 1 Asia Pulse - Uzbekistan's State Property Committee has decided that only 22 per cent of Uzmetkombinat, the country's only steel mill, will be offered to foreign investors instead of an originally planned 33 per cent, a committee source told Interfax. The ...
THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... BANGKOK, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - Statements by Commerce Minister Thanong Bidaya that Thailand would remove protection on hot-rolled steel have undermined the country's negotiating position in the Japan-Thai free trade ...
COCA-COLA JV RESUMES OPERATIONS IN UZBEKISTAN.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TASHKENT, April 1 Asia Pulse - Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan Ltd. has resumed operations in the Central Asian country after shutting down 18 months ago, a top official at the Uzpischeprom association, of which the joint venture is a member, told Interfax. The venture produced ...
SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SINGAPORE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES: - The months-long hearing into the Nicoll Highway collapse ended yesterday with counsel for the State recommending that five parties be charged for offences which resulted in the ...
MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BUSINESS TIMES: - It could get worse on the local stock market before it gets better, analysts and fund managers predicted. - Abrar Discounts Bhd managing director and chief executive ...
INDONESIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's major newspapers: KOMPAS: - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who visited the quake hit island of Nias on Thursday regretted poor coordination that caused a delay in the distribution of relief aid to the victims ...
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS RAISES PAY BY AVERAGE OF 46 PCT IN 2004.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Employees at Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE:00593), Asia's most valuable company by stock market capitalization, got an average 45.5 per cent pay raise last year, according to data released Friday. In 2004, Samsung spent a total of 4.21 trillion won ...
HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... HONG KONG, April 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STANDARD: - Cheung Kong (Holdings), Hong Kong's biggest property developer by sales, said net profit jumped 42 percent last year despite lower margins, as more home sales, a revaluation gain on ...
CHINA STARTS WORK ON KAZAKHSTAN-CHINA OIL PIPELINE.
Apr 01, 2005 ... ASTANA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Construction has begun on the 240-kilometer Chinese section of the Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline in Jinghe county in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to sources with China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), China's biggest oil producer. ...
KAZAKHSTAN AIMING TO BE WORLD LEADER IN URANIUM PRODUCTION.
Apr 01, 2005 ... ASTANA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Kazakhstan has launched a program designed to make it the world leader in uranium production. The state-owned National Atomic Co., or Kazatomprom, has started a program to reduce the expected shortage of uranium in the world market, Central Asia ...
AUSTRALIA'S SMORGON STEEL TO EXPAND IN ASIA.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - Metal recycler Smorgon Steel (ASX:SSX) is looking to expand its presence in Asia now that it has taken full ownership of its joint venture with Hartwell Pacific. Smorgon today said it had acquired the remaining 50 per cent of the Smorgon Hartwell ...
KAZAKHSTAN ENLARGES URANIUM PRODUCTION BY 11% IN 2004.
Apr 01, 2005 ... ASTANA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Kazakhstan enlarged its uranium production by 11.1 per cent to 3,719 tons in 2004, according to a report by the Kazatomprom National Atomic Company. Kazakhstan produced 3,346 tons of uranium in 2003. Last year, Kazatomprom produced 3,363 tons of ...
S. KOREA RECEIVES 8 OFFERS FOR INTERNET TELEPHONY LICENSES.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Eight telecommunication companies, including KT Corp. (KSE:030200) and Hanaro Telecom Inc. (Kosdaq:033630), on Friday bid for licenses to offer Internet-based telephony services, officials said. Dacom Corp. (KSE:015940), Onse Telecom Co., SK Networks ...
STOCKS - AUSTRALIAN STOCKS STRONGER AT NOON - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SYDNEY, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Australian share market remained stronger to noon as resources led the way following a rise in the price of crude oil. "It's all about oil at this point," said Macquarie Equities adviser Helen Spencer. "Anything with an oil flavour is ...
TURKMENISTAN OPENS US$240 MLN CARBAMIDE PLANT.
Apr 01, 2005 ... ASHGABAT, April 1 Asia Pulse - Turkmenistan has opened a US$240 million carbamide plant with capacity to produce 350,000 tons a year. Turkey's Gap Insaat Yatyrym ve Dys Tijaret Anonim Sirketi built the plant. The fully automated plant includes four production ...
TELSTRA REJECTS US REPORT IT IS MISUSING MARKET DOMINANCE.
Apr 01, 2005 ... CANBERRA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Telstra (ASX:TLS) has rejected claims in a United States report that it is misusing its market dominance. A new report by the US Trade Department said the telecommunication giant was slow to open up access to its main phone network and charged ...
UZBEKISTAN'S UZDAEWOOAUTO SEES PRODUCTION UP 85% IN JAN-FEB.
Apr 01, 2005 ... TASHKENT, April 1 Asia Pulse - UzDaewooAuto increased automobile production in January and February by 84.7 per cent to 15,700 vehicles, a company source told Interfax. The company produced 8,796 Nexia cars in the period (4,097 in the same period last year), 4,454 Matiz (2,107), ...
INDONESIA'S BANK PANIN POSTS 105% RISE IN NET PROFIT.
Apr 01, 2005 ... JAKARTA, April 1 Asia Pulse - Publicly listed Bank Panin posted Rp877 billion (US$92.4 million) in net profit in 2004 or an increase of 105.4 per cent from the previous year. Bank Panin Vice President Roosniaty Salihin said net interest income and fee based income ...
STOCKS - SINGAPORE SHARES FIRMER IN EARLY TRADE - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SINGAPORE, April 1 Asia Pulse - Singapore shares were higher in early trade Friday, with the ...
STOCKS - MALAYSIAN SHARES HIGHER IN EARLY TRADE - APRIL 1, 2005.
Apr 01, 2005 ... KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket was up 0.37 per cent in early trade Friday, with the Kuala ...
S. KOREAN FINANCE MINISTER CONFIDENT ABOUT ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT.
Apr 01, 2005 ... SEOUL, April 1 Asia Pulse - Finance and Economy Minister Han Duck-soo Friday expressed confidence that South Korea's economy will improve this year, citing continuing signs of recovery in consumer spending. He also said that ...